Jenna Ortega, Lizzo, and Other Celebs Who Ate Vegan on ‘Hot Ones’

Lizzy Rosenberg - Author
By

Jun. 19 2023, Updated 12:10 p.m. ET

If you spend even a sliver of your time catching up on celebrity gossip, you’ve most likely watched Hot Ones — the competitive web series, hosted by Sean Evans from Complex, invites big name stars to test their spice tolerance, as they’re required to eat different levels of spicy hot wings while answering tough interview questions. Since the series first aired, a number of Hot Ones guests have opted to dine vegan, exercising their spice endurance while eating seitan or cauliflower wings.

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And although this doesn’t mean they’re necessarily vegan or vegetarian full-time, it gives us hope that celebs are truly doing their part to better the planet. That said, here are a number of celebs that have opted to eat vegan on Hot Ones.

Paul Rudd

Yes, while Paul Rudd did his hilarious and legendary Hot Ones interview, he was eating vegan wings. It's also the moment he uttered his viral quote, "Who would have thought? Not me."

But is Paul Rudd vegan? Despite eating vegan wings on Hot Ones, Rudd is not vegan or vegetarian. “I’m actually not a vegetarian but I’m trying to become better,” Rudd said, as per LiveKindly.

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RZA

Wu-Tang Clan's RZA was the very first Hot Ones guest to dine vegan, though it's no surprise — the rapper has advocated for veganism for quite a while now, and he recently started issuing "Plant Grants" to fund vegan projects at Black-owned restaurants.

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Keke Palmer

Actress and singer, Keke Palmer, apparently "dabbles in the plant-based lifestyle," as Evans puts it, so they feast on Field Roast nuggets. This was Keke's second time on the series, but her latest time on the show was honestly even better than the first — Palmer is truly an all-star.

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Natalie Portman

Black Swan star, Natalie Portman, has abided by an animal-free diet for years, so obviously, she chose to eat vegan wings on her episode of Hot Ones. At the start of the interview she was initially very humble about her spice tolerance, which we ultimately found was pretty high — but as you know, vegans appreciate a little spice every now and then.

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Abbi Jacobson and Ilana Glazer

Broad City duo Abbi Jacobson and Ilana Glazer are constantly speaking out about important issues from LGBT rights to voting laws, and now, we're finding out they also advocate for cruelty-free lifestyles. The two both ate plant-based on the show, washing down their vegan wings with almond milk, so needless to say, we're impressed as always.

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Weird Al

Weird Al made a totally notweird decision in choosing to eat vegan on Hot Ones. Happy Cow reports Weird Al is "mostly vegan" with the exception of a cheese pizza every now and then.

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Russell Brand

Although comedian Russell Brand is certainly controversial, we're glad to see he ate vegan on Hot Ones. In fact, per Live Kindly, the Forgetting Sarah Marshall actor hasn't eaten meat since he was 14 years old, and has been vegan since 2017. He says he was "nagged into veganism by society,"

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Ricky Gervais

English actor, Ricky Gervais, has never confirmed whether or not he's vegan, but according to Totally Vegan Buzz, he advocates for animal rights on social media constantly. Since he also decided to go for the vegan wings on his episode of Hot Ones, we're going to assume he chooses to abstain from meat at least once in a while.

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Thundercat

R&B king Thundercat ate meatless wings on Hot Ones — and that's because he is apparently a longtime vegan. According to Washington Post, the singer, songwriter, and bassist went vegan around the same time he stopped drinking alcohol several years ago, and he lost 100 pounds.

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Alexa Chung

Writer, model, and fashion designer, Alexa Chung, opted for vegan nuggets during her time on Hot Ones, because she is — in fact — a strict vegetarian, as per Marie Claire UK. As you'd expect, she charmed all of us during her interview, and ultimately participated in the "last dab," where Evans prompts guests to add extra sauce — a truly team player.

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Zoe Kravitz

High Fidelity actress Zoe Kravitz opted for meatless wings on the show, and although she said she used to be vegan and no longer abides by the lifestyle, she said she tries to eat mostly plant-based for the sake of the planet.

"I did grow up vegan, I'm not vegan anymore, but I'm trying to be better," she told Evans during her interview.

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Jeff Goldblum

Universally loved Jeff Goldblum has been spotted at Veggie Grill and ate vegan on Hot Ones — so that's a win in our book. Sadly, per Are They Vegan, he isn't totally plant-based, but we love that he's willing to go meatless every so often.

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Kristin Bell

It’s no surprise that longtime veg, Kristin Bell, opted for meatless wings. The Good Place actress has been vegetarian since she was 11 years old, per Insider, and vegan since 2012.

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Vanessa Hudgens

We're all in this together, and so is HSM icon, Vanessa Hudgens. Celeb Answers reports that she isn't fully vegan, but she is pescatarian — meaning she eats fish, eggs, and dairy, but no land animal meat.

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Maisie Williams

In addition to being trained in fencing, Maisie Williams also fights animal injustice by being vegan. The Game Of Thrones star ate vegan cauliflower wings during her time on Hot Ones, and although she struggled, she successfully made it through.

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Olivia Rodrigo

The 18-year-old singer opted for the “good 4 u” option in lieu of chicken wings during her time on Hot Ones. Although in the past, she has revealed her obsession with lumpia, basically a non-vegan Filipino spring roll, she may have since transitioned to a vegan lifestyle — or just opts for meatless whenever possible.

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Billie Eilish

Gen Z queen and "bad guy" singer, Billie Eilish, made a nonchalant (but still very cool) debut as a vegan on Hot Ones. She told The Hill she's actually been vegan for seven years after finding out about the meat industry's ethics (or lack thereof).

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Lilly Singh

Lilly Singh has made countless videos about being vegetarian, so we weren't shocked to find the YouTube personality decided to eat plant-based wings on Hot Ones. Her spice tolerance was next to nothing, but she had a great interview nonetheless.

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Anderson .Paak

Rapper and singer-songwriter, Anderson .Paak, not only killed it as a Hot Ones guest, but also ate vegan on the show. Before biting into a nugget, he double-checked to ensure everything was vegan. He hasn't spoken out much about veganism, but it seems as though he likely abides by a plant-based diet.

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Pete Holmes

Comedian Pete Holmes' pick of poison was vegan wings on his episode of Hot Ones, and that's because he's apparently vegan. "As a vegan, i love animals. especially my high horse [sic]," he once said in a tweet, which — although it was a joke — seemed to hold some weight.

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Steve-O

He may be a total prankster, but Steve-O was serous about choosing vegan wings. The Jackass alum has abided by a plant-based diet for years, after transitioning to a healthier lifestyle, according to Live Kindly.

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Thomas Middleditch

Canadian actor, Thomas Middleditch, has admitted in the past that he's an "aspiring vegetarian," as per Live Kindly, so he won us over by ordering some vegan wings. We respect his meatless efforts, and hope that he becomes the vegetarian he aspires to be.

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Lizzo

"Good As Hell" singer, Lizzo, is a known vegan, so we weren't surprised when she opted for plant-based wings on her episode — which were evidently made from Daring chicken pieces!

At one point, the renowned flautist also decided to soothe her burning taste buds with oat milk ice cream. Needless to say, it was a solid episode with some seriously delicious looking food. It definitely did plant-based eats justice.

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Emma Chamberlain

As a lifelong vegetarian, it's no surprise Emma Chamberlain went with plant-based wings. During her episode, she comments on how good they are, and Sean Evans says Black Swan star and one of our all-time favorite vegans, Natalie Portman, recommended them. Who would've guessed?

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Lenny Kravitz

"What are these? That’s some weird uh… fake chicken," Kravitz says after taking the first bite of his plant-based drumstick. While the longtime vegan singer seems to be the only guest so far who wasn't a fan of the plant-based wings, we respect his opinion.

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Jenna Ortega

Though the Wednesday actor previously stated she is no longer vegan, after filming the popular Addams Family spinoff in Romania, Jenna Ortega appeared to have been eating plant-based wings during her episode of Hot Ones.

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Florence Pugh

Florence Pugh appeared on Hot Ones in March 2023, where she opted for cauliflower wings. The British actress also hosted a "Cooking With Flo" series on social media.

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Julia Louis-Dreyfus

Iconic actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus appears to be eating cauliflower wings in her Hot Ones interview, which aired in June 2023.

This article has been updated.

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